Tiny crabs

[MarkW19]

I saw some really small crabs at my LFS today, with a blackish shell.

What sort of crabs are these, and do they grow much bigger?

Do they affect the bioload at all, and how many can I have (35gallon)? Do they have to be acclimatised in the same way as other fish and inverts? Will they help get rid of my diatoms on my rock and sand?

Thanks.

 

[steve-s]

Unless you can identify the species, never add crabs to the tank. Even some hermits can end up being regreted. Always drip acclimate inverts as long as possible. It will greatly increase the success rate. Most inverts are not a concern with bioload they actually help reduce the pollutants that degrade water quality.

As far as your algae problems, a good mix of snails will be your best solution along with proper RO water and careful feedings. In newer tanks diotoms are quite normal. Once the silicates that fuel the growth is used up, the algae will crash on it's own. As long as you do not re-introduce the silicates, the diatoms should abate.

Cheers
Steve